Sixth plate studio portrait daguerreotype. N.p., ca 1845–1850. Pressed-leather miniature case with a rich crimson velvet facing pad and brass closure hook. 

An outstanding, technically superb antebellum portrait featuring an early firearm.

The subject is an impeccably groomed gentleman with side-swept locks, wearing a dark tailored wool frock coat, waistcoat, wing-collared white shirt, and wide white silk cravat. He is seated facing forward with a composed, confident gaze.

Held across his lap in both hands is a percussion half-stock rifle featuring a significant number of German silver inlays and what appears to be a unique mechanical setup. The action displays the distinct silhouette of a flintlock mechanism with cock and frizzen intact, paired with a half-stock displaying silver inlays along the forend. Projecting prominently upward from the wrist area is a tall vertical palm-rest designed for competitive precision shooting or bench-rest target matches.

While armed daguerreotypes showing men brandishing standard military muskets, sporting side-by-side shotguns, or common half-stock percussion rifles surface on occasion, plates documenting specialized precision bench or target shooting rigs, are extraordinarily rare. The contrast between the gentleman's refined civilian evening attire and the heavy, mechanical precision firearm makes this an arresting centerpiece for both arms and 19th-century photography collectors.

[Daguerreotype, Sixth Plate, Flintlock Rifle, Target Rifle, Bench Rest Rifle, Precision Shooting, Palm Rest, Inlaid Stock, Firearms Photography, Armed Daguerreotype, Gunsmith, 1840s Photography, Cased Image, Militaria]

Very good condition. The plate exhibits crisp definition and wonderful tone. We note scattered dusting and faint peripheral halo tarnish along the inner mat bevel.